Amusement apparatus



l. A. MO'SENBCKER,

AMUSEFIENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APILQI. 1919,

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FFICE.

XHDEA, ASSIGNGR OF ONE-*HALF T0'v Sneelcation of Letters Eatent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

.application lednprl 2l, 1919. Serial No. 291,1l99.

To all wiom t may "concern:

lie it known. that l, limits il.. ltlo'rsnnTQ laminas, a citizen oi the United States, residing at indianapolis, in the county oi Marion'and State of indiana, have invented certain new and useful improvements inw sivo to manufacture and one which stiniulfield area described by the side and end' walls 15 and 16. The end of the apparatus lates zeal and zest among the participants.

l accomplish the above objects of the ir vention, and such others as may appear from a perusal of the following description and claims, by'. means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in wliicl y 'A Figure l is a perspective view of my iinproved amusement apparatus. llig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view througlrthe apparatus, on a slightly enlarged scale. Fig. 3 iS a fragmentary detail longitudinal seetional view through the ball chute.

Referring' to the drawings, the 'amuse- `rnent apparatus comprises a portable rectangular fran'e consisting ot four upright posts l() one ot which is arranged at each corner, the said posts being joined together by means of the longitudinal connecting rails 1l, the cross rail l2, and the ball chute 23. The space within the four posts l() and above the connecting;v rails 1l is inclosed on the sides by means ot canvas 15 or similar niateriala and the end of the apparatus opposite 'the players end with canvas lf3, winch deline the lield arca. within which the balls 17 are rolled in playing the game. A canvas 18 is arranged upon the connecting rails 1l to form a floor and closes the bottom ot the neXt to the player is closed between.' posts 10 by a wire netting 19 so as not to obscure the visibility of players in observing the course oi2 the balls7 travel along' floor 18. Joiniecting rails ll. and floor 3.8 are placed .across `These pockets are arranged arbitrarily in lby means of in an inclined position so that balls 17 when thrown and strike the forward wall 16 they will rebound and light upon and be deflected backA to the players end of the apparatus by means of the inclination imparted to said floor 18. The normal surface plane ot licor 18 may be'disturbed by introducing therein one or more steps, as at 20, which has a tendency to change or deflect the return course oi' the thrown balls and thereby inject more uncertainty as to the ultimate course talren and the final resting' positions assumed by the returning balls when they reach the players end oi the apparatus. ill/hen the returning balls 17 reachthe -foot ot floor i8 they come to rest upon a trap-door 22 which normally occupies a horizontal position and 'closes an opomnn4 leading into a ball chute 23. ln order to promote interest in the game prizes are usually given to the player hav ing the greatest number of balls occupying a git-*en number of similarly colored pockets, and these pockets are formed above trapdoor by means of a series of transverse partition walls 25 which extend transversely the mouth leading into ball chute 23.

series? of which each series contains a uni forno number of pockets, and each pocket in a series has a different color, which `color scheine is carried out through the dilerent series, so that it is possible for a player to have two or all of the balls allotted to hiin to enter pockets of like color, thereby enabling the ratio of the number of balls allotted aplayer to determine the value of the prize.. Alter a players turn at play with all spent balls restino' upon trap-door 22 they vare simultaneously discharged into ball chute 23 when trap-door 22 is depressed. The yfloor sections 26 and 27 of the ball chute are arranged in `descending planes toward the center of the apparatus so 'that the balls are directed toward a common discharge opening 28 and into a receiving receptacle 29 below, where, they are available to the players. Trap-door 22 is pivotally mounted one .ory more` hinges 30 and is actuated downwardly by means of a footlever 31 which is pivotally secured at 32 to a support 33, the lever 31 being connected to a trapedoor 22 byv means of a connecting` rod 35. Trap-door 22 is normally held in a horizontal position so yas to keep the mouth of ball chute 23 closed by means of a spring soA e the apparatus, the tendency of saidspringg` .being to exert a pull upon said lever. Lever 3l is arranged generally at the players end of the apparatus so es to be readily accessi ble and can be actuated by anyone of the players. y

' Arranged transversely between posts 10 at the players end of the field, and usually about midway between trap-door 22 and the upper ends of said posts, is a shelf l0 upon which prizes may be displayed for' attracting the publics attention to the apparatus, and at the end of the apparatus opposite the players end, and usually above the end Wall 16, l provide eertainmeans il for tlie display of suitable advertising matter as may be deemed appropriate or desirable for attracting customers when conducting the gan-ie either for pleasure or for profit.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. An amusement apparatus comprising an inclined field for returning tlie spent i lealls to players, means for disarrangnig the normal surface plane of the tield for delecting tlie course of tlie returning balls, ineens for inclosing said ield and keeping tlie bells in defined limits., a series of poele 'ets arranged along the foot or' the field for receiving the spent balls, a trap-door for sente supporting the spent balls, means for depressing and eileetingthe discharge oi the spent balls from tlie pockets, a loall chute for receiving the balls discharged from tlie end of the iield and conveying tliein to a common discharge opening, and means for .receivingthe collected balls."

2. An amusement apparatus, comprising an inclined field for returning the spent balls to the-players, Ineens for disarranging the normal surface plane of the lield for defleeting .the course oi' the returning balls, means for inclosingsaid eld and keeping the balls in defined limits, a plurality of pockets arranged at the foot of the field for receiving,` the spent balls, said pockets being 4 arranged in groups comprising a uniform number oii differently colored pockets in which tlie color scheme of one group correspends to that employed in the other groups, a trap-door for temporarily supporting the spent balls occupying' the pockets, means i'or actuating` the door for eiecting the dis charge or tlie spent balls, and ball chute :tor catching and :for conveying the discharged balls to a eeinlnon discharge openingu ln Witness whereof l have hereunto set my liand and seal at indianapolis, Indiana, this lltli day or" April, A. l), one thousand nine hundred and nineteen. I,

JAMES fh MOTSENBOCKER. [L S.] 

